Cara tells us what a special day it was for Sara and Anthony Customs House wedding, as they became husband and wife surrounded by loved ones and their gorgeous children. Cara was thrilled to see groom Anthony’s kind feedback pop up on their Brisbane City Celebrants Facebook page after the wedding, thank you so much for your kind feedback and congratulations to the happy newly-weds.

The warm and fuzzies of this Brisbane same-sex wedding ceremony with these two happy grooms were off the charts! The happy couple wed in a short and simple, small and intimate ceremony surrounded by close friends on a gorgeous autumn afternoon at the Mt Coot-tha Botanic Gardens.

Brisbane Celebrant Cara Hodge with the two grooms.

It’s a very exciting time to be in the wedding industry, particularly as Celebrants we now get to say the words “marriage according to the law in Australia is between TWO PEOPLE’… “

These two words that so many people have longed to hear for so long, now result in cheers, applause and even goose bumps from those present (myself included!).

With just a slight change of wording, the Celebrants mandatory wording has suddenly become celebratory!

Being a Celebrant I feel incredibly grateful that I get to spend my weekends (and often week days) amongst so much happiness with the loveliest of people.

If you are looking for a Celebrant for your wedding, same-sex or otherwise Cara from Brisbane City Celebrants would love to hear from you.

We suggest asking your Celebrant to print up each of your vows, and have them beautifully presented on vow cards, ready to pass to you during your ceremony

Benefits:

One less thing to worry about having to remember to bring along on the day

Your Celebrant can stand to the side out of camera shot while your photographer captures the memorable moments as you read your vows to each other.

Image: Twig and Fawn Photography

I’m petrified at just the thought of saying my own vows? Well the good news is you don’t have to write/ share your own vows if you don’t want to. There is 1 simple sentence that is mandatory to say (e.g. I ask everyone here to witness that I full name take you full name to be my wedded wife/husband)

If the thought of sharing your heartfelt promises, in front of everyone you know is giving you a pang of nerves and anxiety every time you think about it, consider sharing your beautiful words to each other via letter earlier in the day while you are getting ready (your photographer/ videographer will love capturing this moment)

Or if you’re the type that prefers to keep things simple, you could stick with just the simple mandatory wording.

Wedding Time – There was once a time that every wedding took place at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon.

Then couples began to realise that this didn’t always work for them, their guests, and what they envisioned for their day.

Not everyone wants to go from the blissful high of becoming husband and wife, to soon being separated from their nearest and dearest to head off for photos.

So couples are increasingly adopting what is known as the ‘First Look’ idea, where they meet before the wedding and the photographer captures the grooms reaction seeing his bride for the first time, followed by their bridal photo shoot.

This usually involves in a slightly later ceremony time – view our tips on sunset ceremonies, and one of the main benefits to both the couple and the guests is get they get to go from the ceremony, straight in to the celebrations – together!

Book your honeymoon in your maiden name – I know, this doesn’t feel as romantic as you imagined, but unless you have allowed plenty of time between your wedding and honeymoon, for your marriage to be registered, for your official marriage certificate to be issued, and then for your new passport to be issued, it’s a much safer bet to book your flights in your maiden name.

Airlines won’t allow you on a flight if the name on your passport is different to that on your ticket.

While we’re speaking of honeymoons, some resorts offer newlyweds honeymoon upgrades or inclusions, they occasionally ask for evidence of your marriage to ensure you are a genuine honeymooner. We suggest taking a phone pic or photo copy of your marriage certificate along with you so you don’t miss out.

If you enjoyed hearing these newly engaged wedding ceremony tips and are looking for a Celebrant for your Brisbane wedding, Cara would love to hear from you. Contact Brisbane City Celebrants for more information and to confirm availability for your special day.

What an amazing day it was helping Susie and Trent tie the knot in an intimate wedding on a mountain top at Mt Coot-tha, in the company of their immediate family.
That backdrop is simply amazing, as was the couples connection as they became husband and wife.
Big thanks to the girls at Papillon Studio for capturing this special moment.

Following the intimate ceremony, the happy bride and groom headed to the Mt Coot-tha Botanical Gardens at the base of Mt Coot-tha for their wedding photo shoot with their photographers, before joining their close group of guests at Summit Mt Coot-tha’s outdoor pavilion for a coverred outdoor style reception with delicious food and stunning views. Thank you to Susie and Trent for kindly sending this beautiful photo of your Mt Coot-tha wedding to me. I am so happy to hear you enjoyed your relaxed and intimate wedding so much!

If you enjoyed this post and are looking for a Celebrant like Cara that is located just a short 5 minute drive from this venue (we believe it’s particularly important to have a local Celebrant during the summer months when the Brisbane weather is less predictable). Brisbane City Celebrants have performed many weddings at this venue with a view and would love to hear from you, contact us now to confirm availability for your special day. Congratulations to the happy newly-weds! Cara – Brisbane City Celebrants

If you enjoyed this post and looking for a Celebrant that is passionate about pulling off the ultimate surprise wedding and can fit in inconspicuously with your guests if need be, before the surprise is revealed, or perhaps you are looking for a Brisbane Celebrant that truly believes in marriage equality, Brisbane City Celebrants would love to hear from you. Contact Brisbane City Celebrants now to confirm availability for your special day.

I just love it when couples do their wedding their way, for couples like Christine and Ed that meant putting tradition aside and creating a day that could enjoy every moment of together.

Their black tie wedding ceremony and reception took place at the grand State Library of QLD in South Brisbane. The couples modern wedding commenced with both the bride and groom welcoming the guests as they arrived, which really set the tone for the relaxed vibe.

The couple opted not to have a bridal party, and Christine decided not to have a wedding bouquet as she simply didn’t feel the need to have one. They did however have Francescas Flowers install a dramatic hanging Monstera cheese plant leaf display and the greenery worked perfectly with the high ceilings of the Terrace Room.

When the ceremony time arrived, the guests were seated and the bride and groom, holding hands took a relaxed stroll down the aisle together before turning to face each other as the ceremony commenced.

The lovely couple couldn’t take their eyes off each other as they enjoyed their short, sweet and authentic ceremony. They could barely contain their excitement when I pronounced them husband and wife!

Congratulations to the happy newlyweds and thank you for choosing Brisbane City Celebrants for your State Library of QLD Wedding.

Images by Pip Musso Photography

If you enjoyed hearing about this contemporary wedding ceremony and are looking for a Celebrant for your Brisbane wedding, Cara would love to hear from you. Contact Brisbane City Celebrants for more information and to confirm availability for your special day.

This Brisbane Golf Club wedding ceremony was such a special wedding to be the Celebrant for. The happy couple have so much love for their sweet little boy and it’s so easy to see why, not only is he the cutest little thing, but his excitement and energy on the day was through the roof.

I love how the beautiful bride had so much fun including him in the getting ready photos (playing peek-a boo beneath her gown) and how he enthusiastically sprinted down the aisle faster than his little legs could carry him with the ring cushion, thankfully those rings were firmly tied to the ring cushion.

If you are looking for ideas to include children in your wedding Brisbane City Celebrants would love to hear from you. In the meantime, enjoy this gorgeous love filled wedding with the sweetest little ring bearer.

The cute little ring bearer sprinting down the wedding aisle with the rings!

“Here’s the rings Daddy”

That magical moment when the groom sees his beautiful bride for the very first time.

As a Celebrant I love seeing the guests smiling from ear to ear, looking on lovingly and enjoying every moment of the wedding ceremony.

Brisbane Golf Club Wedding with Cara of Brisbane City Celebrants

The sweet couple wrote beautiful heartfelt wedding vows to each other. I just love how their photographer Prue captured this special moment from this angle.

Just married by Brisbane City Celebrants

Congratulations to the happy newlyweds! If you have a child or children that you would like to include in your wedding ceremony, we recommend checking out our article tips for weddings with children.

If you enjoyed this Celebrants blog and you are looking for a like minded Celebrant for your Brisbane wedding, Cara Hodge from Brisbane City Celebrants would love to hear from you, contact her now for more information or to confirm availability for your special day.

I was so excited when the Polka Dot Bride wedding blog invited me to share some of my favourite wedding moments with their readers. With way too many amazing moments to realistically list, here are just some of my favourites, in no particular order

From the perfect composition of this image with the ceiling drapes and opulent chandeliers framing the couple, to the guests cheering enthusiastically in the background.

I have no doubt a lot of planning and practice went in to pulling this dance move off and the happy couple are now rewarded with this very impressive image and wonderful memories.

2. The Hollywood style back bender first kiss

You really get a feeling of romance and a sense of the love this couple share in this image beautifully captured by Dreamlife Photos and Video. You can imagine the guests cheering enthusiastically and applauding as the groom Justin dips his beautiful bride Katie, and the bridesmaids squeal with happiness as they wave their bouquets in the air!

Jamie was the Celebrant for this couple and I love that he got well and truly out of shot (as every Celebrant should) for the photographers to capture this magical moment.

I also love the fresh greenery styled arch, designed by the bride who is a very talented florist.

3. Fresh Floral Arbour

I am absolutely besotted with this fresh floral arch by the talented creatives at Brisbane Wedding Decorators which was covered in beautiful fresh oversize Colombian roses and perfectly complements the brides white wedding theme. Image by Laura Slade Photography

4. OMG the wedding cake just toppled off the table!!!

Actually it was all part of the plan. My gorgeous couple, Gabbi and Dan love to laugh and have fun and they knew they wanted their wedding full of fun and laughter. Nothing stiff, boring or predictable.

Something about the traditional cutting of the cake just didn’t feel right to them, so together with their equally fun loving photographers from Naomi V Photography they came up with a plan to trick their guests in to thinking they knocked the cake off the table.

So they got a pretend polystyrene cake and had that iced so it looked like the real deal. As the cake cutting took place and the cake went flying off the table, the photographers captured the shocked look on the guests faces! Seeing Gabbi and Dan smirking then burst in to laughter raised suspicions and a guest ran up to the cake and confirmed they had all been tricked!

We love it when our couples do things their way, truly making their wedding their own and plus this made for a series of hilarious photos too.

5. Flower walls

Ooh look it’s me! It was such an amazing experience to be a guest of honour at the Karen Tran Gala dinner in Brisbane hosted by Event Planner Celebrations by Alysia. What you can see behind me here is a spectacular floor to ceiling water colour inspired flower wall, yes those are all real flowers! The fresh florals, the opulence, the decor, everything was simply breathtaking!

If you enjoyed hearing about some of Cara’s favourite wedding moments and you are looking for a Celebrant for your Brisbane wedding, Cara would love to hear from you. Contact Brisbane City Celebrants for more information and to confirm availability for your special day.

I am so excited to share some happy feedback from this super fun ceremony that took place on the rugby field at the University of Queensland, a spot that the happy couple and their friends share many happy memories of from their days studying and playing at UQ.

After the ceremony the happy couple even went on to kick off their shoes and pop on their footie boots for a quick kick around on the pitch! The perfect way for them to have a little fun and make their day a true reflection of them.

I was thrilled to receive a 5 star review and this lovely feedback from the happy newlyweds.

“Ciara made our wedding day not only memorable but stress free! Right from day one she was so helpful with all the ceremony details including our vows.

Our ceremony was beautiful, unique, lighthearted and fun! I would highly recommend Ciara to anyone planning their wedding.”

Alison & Sean – UQ rugby field wedding

The very lovely Adam from Raconteur Photography was on hand to capture the day and was also kind enough to provide the following feedback about his experience working alongside me:

“Ciara was amazing, the ceremony was very relaxed and fun while still being very personable towards Alison and Sean and their journey.

Ciara stuck around after the ceremony to help out which was nice. I highly recommend Ciara – amazing job”

UQ wedding ceremony with Brisbane Wedding Celebrant Ciara Hodge

To complete the dream team of suppliers the happy couple selected, here is there feedback on their photographer Adam.

“I’m so glad we chose Adam to photograph our wedding, he made the day lighthearted and fun, and truly got the best out of all of those he was photographing.

He interacted so well with everyone and we got so many comments on how fantastic our photographer was. Our photos look amazing and were above and beyond what I anticipated. I can’t recommend Adam and Raconteur photography highly enough.”

Alison and Sean

Thank you Alison and Sean for choosing me to be a part of your wedding and also to Raconteur Photography for capturing and allowing us to share these timeless images.

If you enjoyed hearing about this fun UQ Schonell wedding ceremony and are looking for a Celebrant for your Brisbane wedding, Cara would love to hear from you. Contact Brisbane City Celebrants for more information and to confirm availability for your special day.

Let’s talk children at weddings. While some couples opt for child free weddings, others embrace the joy of having excited children involved in their day, particularly when their own children get to play a very special role in their day.

Brisbane City Celebrants top tips for Children at Weddings. Image Naomi V Photography

There are many ways to include little ones in your ceremony which depending on their age may involve including a very special mention of them in the ceremony wording or giving them the role of ring security or flower girl, to having them present readings, hand out bubbles, be ushers or be in the bridal party if they are a little older.

Brisbane City Celebrants top tips for Children at Weddings. Image Naomi V Photography

Having performed many weddings with children involved the best advice we can give is simply to let children be children.

If they see Mum and Dad stood at the front looking like a Prince and Princess out of a Disney movie, naturally they will be curious and will instinctively want to wonder up and join them, we absolutely encourage this. Trying to keep them away could potentially result in a mid-ceremony tantrum.

Brisbane City Celebrants top tips Weddings with Children Image Naomi V Photography

We believe having your own child or children around you during the ceremony, adds to the love shared between the family and let’s face it, it doesn’t get much cuter than having a little page boy dressed as a mini-me of his Daddy or a flower girl up there clinging on to Daddy’s leg!

Brisbane City Celebrants top tips Weddings with Children Image Naomi V Photography

For guests with babies and young children that have also been invited along, the etiquette at weddings is generally to sit towards the back so if baby decides to let out an almighty scream just for giggles, they can quickly exit out of ear shot without any disruption to the ceremony.

If you are expecting a few excitable toddlers may be running around before or after the ceremony, consider child friendly decorations, for example cylinder glass vases or candles lining the aisle or on pedestals may be an accident waiting to happen. Consider keeping potentially breakable décor to a minimum or out of reach and if you’re expecting lots of kiddies to be present, perhaps even have a ‘kids zone’ or welcome toy that can keep occupied. Bubbles are a great way to entertain little ones at weddings and also make for some really great photos.

Brisbane City Celebrants top tips Weddings with Children Image Naomi V Photography

Finally, as cute as little ring bearers are, avoiding giving them the actual rings until the very last minute. It’s all fun and games when he’s whacking Uncle Phil with the ring cushion, until a ring goes AWOL. Best to have the rings well tied to the little ribbons on the ring cushion and to hand them over to the ring bearer at the last minute.

Brisbane City Celebrants top tips Weddings with Children Image: Naomi V Photography

Most of all involve and enjoy your little ones as they will play a huge part of the magical memories of your special day.

Big thanks to Gabbi and Dan and their sweet son Blaine for allowing us to share these beautiful photos from your wedding at Riverlife and also to Naomi V Photography for capturing these fantastic images.

If you enjoyed hearing these tips for children at weddings and are looking for a Celebrant that gets the importance of involving your children on your special day, Cara would love to hear from you. Contact Brisbane City Celebrants for more information and to confirm availability for your special day.